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Not a stranger to the SEA-Pop industry, Indonesian-Singaporean artist Bernard Dinata, known as lullaboy, marks his return with another single under his artistic belt, titled “van gogh”.

Not one to shy away from his emotions either, lullaboy pens down his frustrations in a sonic tale of love, unrequited - a tale as old as time, in “van gogh”.

lullaboy’s latest pop ballad gives a nod to the iconic song Starry Night in the intro, before proceeding to paint a picture of an attempt at wooing a disinterested love interest. Working hand-in-hand with producer Nacho Larraza, who produced half of lullaboy’s first album, “van gogh’' depicts the story of someone pining over unrequited love. lullaboy chooses to believe that “love is what drove Van Gogh mad, just like it does to all of us. If he was a musician instead of a painter, this is a song he could have written”, he says.

With heart-breaking revelations in his lyrics, juxtaposed against a summery guitar-driven RnB arrangement of the song, lullaboy manages to capture the feeling of delusion, romanticized and packaged perfectly into a pop song. As for the living inspiration for the track, lullaboy sings this song as one final attempt to win over the girl who brought color into his life.

“The girl in the song is the inspiration for my art, my muse, and it's about trying our best to win her over even though the love might be unrequited”, he confesses and ultimately admits that finishing the song was no easy feat, with it being two years in the making.

“This song was the toughest to create. It went through over ten revisions over two years before we finally felt fully proud of it. I am so attached to this song now”, he adds.

lullaboy hopes that listeners understand that it’s okay to want love and to want to be loved. Even if it can sometimes be a losing game, saying that “We can all be suckers for love and that’s okay. Sometimes we just have to vibe and enjoy the ride, but if you meet someone who brings color to your life, fight for them, and don’t let them go”, he states.

'van gogh' also marks his second single release under RedRecords following his success with 'Shortcut To Heaven', available now for downloads on iTunes and streaming websites such as Apple Music, Deezer, JOOX music, KKBox, Spotify, YouTube and YouTube Music.

Check out our exclusive interview with lullaboy below:

Amazing performance at Singapore’s Ones To Watch Showcase! How was the experience for you? 

it felt like i was on top of the world. literally… it was a glass tank in the sky. playing for everyone at that event was a dream come true and i can’t wait to do it again. 

How was meeting Johnny Stimson?

We shared a tight sweaty hug after the show and within a minute of talking to him, i could already feel how big his heart was. Everyone can be nice but Johnny is kind. I’ll hit him up next time I’m in the states so we can make some music together.

You have built quite the loyal fanbase, we saw fans travel from overseas for the showcase! What has been your most memorable fan encounter yet? 

That was actually the most memorable thing for me so far. 2 of my fans from Indonesia took a flight to Singapore just to watch me and I couldn’t believe it. I wish I could give back more to them but all I could do this time was invite them into the artists room and we had a great time chatting and taking pictures away from the world outside.

A lot of artists have dedicated names for their fans, what do you affectionately call your fans?

Well somehow the name lullafam just stuck. We got lullaboys lullagirls and I just found out yesterday that my mom made a new IG account called “lullamom” haha so I just want everyone feel like we’re one big family and have each others backs. If you like my music, sorry but you’re automatically adopted into the lullafam. Individually though I like to call my fans dreamers because I always want them to dream big.

What kind of community are you building for your fans?

One full of love and acceptance. We’re all looking for answers to love and life together so remember that you’re never alone.

On your Instagram, your bio states that you are the president of the hopeful romantic club, tell us more about this. Are you a hopeless romantic? 

I used to think I was hopeless, but I realised through music and the fans that if you still believe in love, no matter how many heartbreaks you face, then you’re full of more hope than you think. Here’s the secret whether we want to admit it or not, we’re all hopeful romantics deep down.

Your real name is Bernard, tell us how did the moniker lullaboy come about?

When I was a kid, I wrote songs when life got crazy, when I was happy or when I was sad, I realised that music gave me comfort like lullabies would. There’s also a sense of nostalgia in my melodies and lyrics so lullaby boy was the perfect name for me to remind people to never grow up, never stop learning and to keep looking for answers in this great big world.

How would you describe your music? What is the message you want to convey? 

Emotional pop songs for sunny days and lonely nights. Life is full of ups and downs but we’ll make it through and everything is gonna be alright.

Which areas of life do you draw the biggest inspiration from for your songwriting?

At points of heightened emotions. Writing songs are like diary entries for me that I have the privilege of sharing with everyone.

Do you tend to draw inspirations from your own stories or other people’s journey?

A little bit of both actually. I’ve written songs after heart to hearts with friends. Everyone has a different story and it is always inspiring to hear. Most of the time though, I write based off of my own life and experiences and sometimes even imagining scenarios that haven’t happened yet. 

Your latest single “Van Gogh” is amazing! What inspired this single?

This song is about chasing after the person who brings color to our lives, but not being loved back by them. Van Gogh’s story is the greatest case of this, devoting his life to art, his true love, but never being appreciated or loved for it. It was only after he took his own life that he became one of the most beloved painters in history. We’re all suckers for love but that is a beautiful thing. I feel like in the multiverse, I’d love to be his friend, and tell him, “I feel you bro, everything is gonna be okay.”

If you can switch lives with any artist for a day, who would it be and why?

I wouldn’t haha, I get to live my dream everyday so I’m more than thankful.

You’ve interned at one of the largest entertainment companies in the world –YG Entertainment. Tell us about that experience, and is there a KPOP collab in the works?

I got a chance to learn from some of the best people in the world and they motivated me to give my all. My passion and determination grew after being with them and now I want to help inspire others. As for a Kpop collar, there are a few in the works, but you’re all gonna have to just stay tuned for that.

KPOP artists have achieved global success, what do you think is key as an Asian artist to connecting with a global audience?

Honesty, quality and love. Thats what all the stars I’ve met have in common. 

Which artists in Singapore/Asia is on your Ones To Watch List right now & why?

I got to know a Korean artist named Jonghan at an SM entertainment songwriting camp. His voice, talent, and heart makes him an artist that I really believe in and I think he’s gonna be huge one day.

What piece of advice would you offer to new artists just starting out?

I’ll pass on some personal advice I got from Keshi back when he had 1500 followers on instagram. Consistently write and release good music and one day people are gonna hear you.

What’s on your list of things to accomplish this year? What are some other upcoming projects we can look forward to?

Some of the best music I’ve ever made comes out this year and I want to play these songs to people all around the world. A potential EP, collabsand festival performances are on the way as well. I feel like everything has led up to this year. 2023 is going to be insane so get ready!